Hey guys,
It's Taryn,
And thank you for joining me for this mindfulness of thoughts and emotions meditation.
Takesha Kora stated that the key is not to resist or rebel against emotions or to try to get around them by devising all sorts of tricks,
But to accept them directly as they are.
So in today's meditation,
I invite you to anchor yourselves in the present while bravely observing and accepting the emotions and thoughts that may or may not arise.
So find a posture that's comfortable,
Yet alert,
Sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
Close your eyes or keep them open with a soft gaze pointing downwards.
Let's take a few deep breaths to settle in,
Inhaling,
Feeling your spine lengthen,
And exhaling,
Becoming aware of or releasing any tension your body may be holding,
Inhaling and exhaling,
Releasing any lingering feelings,
Tension in your shoulders,
Neck,
Or face,
Giving yourself permission to soften into this present moment.
Let's bring our attention to noticing the sensation of simply breathing in and out.
Following the breath as you inhale through the nose,
Maybe noticing the rise of your and exhaling,
Maybe feeling the warmth of the stomach falling.
Now as you follow your breath,
Just notice if there's any noises,
Note them,
And return to the breath.
Notice if any thoughts arise.
Thoughts and emotions so often come in tandem.
So if any emotions arise,
Simply notice them with curiosity.
If labeling them feels right,
Go ahead and do that,
Too.
Anger,
Happiness,
Sorrow,
And if emotions or thoughts aren't arising,
Rock on and continue following the breath.
Now if you do observe any thoughts or emotions arising,
Give yourself permission to notice if you feel them anywhere specifically in your body,
Maybe in your chest,
Your throat,
Your forehead,
Stomach.
Acknowledge it for what it is,
Not creating a story or attaching any past experiences or future worries to it.
And then release it with each exhale,
Always returning to your breath or the sensations in your body or the sounds around you as an anchor,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Noticing and observing your emotions puts space between you and them,
Space to view them with curiosity and not be driven by them.
So breathe,
Observe with compassion and curiosity,
And exhale and let them float away.
Going back to that one beautiful constant of being alive,
Our inhale and our exhale.
Now keeping your eyes closed,
Begin to bring some awareness into your limbs,
Your shoulders,
Your fingers,
Awareness into this body.
And when you're ready,
Gently blink your eyes open,
Reconnecting with your surroundings.
It takes courage to face our thoughts and emotions head on with awareness.
And some may even say it's an act of rebellion.
But in doing so,
Those thoughts and emotions have a tendency to become a bit more quiet and a little bit nicer over time.
I thank you for your courage today,
And I thank you for your practice.
Until next time,
May presence prevail.
